Courses

Courses for Kids

Free study material

Store

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

CBSE

Class 7

Worksheet

Devotional Paths To The Divine

Devotional Paths to The Divine: CBSE Class 7 History Worksheet with Solutions (2025-26)

Practice Questions & Key Concepts for Devotional Paths to The Divine – CBSE Class 7 History

History is an essential part of the overall syllabus of Class 7. Having a firm grasp of History is crucial to score good marks in examinations. As a subject, History enables students to dig into the past and uncover fascinating insights. Moreover, young minds can also understand the implications and bearings of the past onto the present. The eighth chapter of Class 7 NCERT SST textbook is Devotional Paths to the Divine. The chapter dovetails into the Sufi and the Bhakti movements that evolved and permeated almost every corner of India since the 8th century.

It begins by explaining how the power privileges and caste-based hierarchy within the Hindu religion repelled certain sections of the population, who then took recourse to the teachings of the Buddha and the Jainas. Consequently, the idea of a Supreme God who could be pleased through personal ‘bhakti’ or devotion, and not by virtue of being born in a noble family emerged, which is the crux of the Bhakti Movement. The Class 7 Chapter 8 History then goes on to discuss the Bhakti Movement in the South, surgence of the saint-points in Maharashtra, Sufism and Islamism, and the inception of Sikhism.

The subject matter of History is thought-provoking and extremely enticing. But, simultaneously, it can be tedious, comprehensive, and too detailed. Solely focusing on the NCERT history book and exercises may not be enough for children to gain the required knowledge and score good marks in exams. Therefore, some extra handholding goes a long way. Parents and teachers coupled with the students should ensure to incorporate additional academic assistance in the form of revision papers, extra questions, etc.

Access Worksheet for Class 7 History Chapter 8 - Devotional Paths To The Divine

1. Fill in the blanks.

_____ was an advocate of Advaita.
The Alvars had an influence on ____.
Basavanna, Allama Prabhu, and Akkamahadevi were advocates of _____.
Pandharpur was a significant hub for the Bhakti tradition in _____.
Local myths and legends were incorporated into the _____ stories as a result.

2. State T for True and F for False for the following questions:

Rich oral traditions existed in tribal societies.
Pulaiyar and the Panars belonged to the castes of the Brahmanas.
A Marathi devotional song is called Abhang.
Hinduism's holy book is called Guru Granth Sahib.
In 1604 Guru Arjan collected all of Nanak's works into one collection.

3. Match the following.

Column I	Column II
Martin Luther	Marathi devotional hymn
Abhang	Translated Bible into german language
Guru Granth sahib	Worship of Shiva
Ramcharitmanas	Holy scripture of Sikhs
Nayanars	Tulsidas

4. Since the eighth century, which devotional practice has changed?

Bhakti
Sufism
Both (a) and (b)
None of these

5. What was NOT worshipped during the Bhakti movement as the Hindu supreme deity?

Shiva
Vishnu
Ganesha
Durga

6. Religious biographies are known as

autobiography
geography
photography
hagiography

7. Which Indian state was the birthplace of Ramanuja?

Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Andhra Pradesh
None of these

8. Who was the companion of Basavanna?

9. Whose form is Vitthala?

10. In Marathi, who revised the Gita?

11. What are the disciples in the Sufi system called?

12. What is Shariat?

13. In which language the Ramacharitamanas is written?

14. Who was brought up by a family of weavers?

15. How did the people worship their god?

16. Why did people start following the teachings of the Buddha and the Jainas?

17. Which principles did the Bhagavadgita support?

18. What part did the Chola and Pandya kings play in tying the bhakti tradition and temple worship together?

19. What characterised most of the saints as being special?

20. What was Tulsidas' conception?

21. Which concept was favoured by most people?

22. What was the philosophy of Shankara, and who was he?

23. How well do you comprehend the Virashaiva movement?

24. Who were Sufis? What were Sufis devoted to?

25. List the saints of Maharashtra by name. What did they believe?

Answer for Worksheets

Shankara
Ramanuja
Virashaivism
Maharashtra
Puranic

Column I	Column II
Martin Luther	Translated Bible into german language
Abhang	Marathi devotional hymn
Guru Granth sahib	Holy scripture of Sikhs
Ramcharitmanas	Tulsidas
Nayanars	Worship of Shiva

4. (c) Both (a) and (b)

5. (c) Ganesha

6. (d) hagiography

7. (b) Tamil Nadu

8. Allama Prabhu

9. Vitthala is a form of vishnu.

10. Saint Janeshwara revised the Gita in Marathi.

11. Murids

12. It was created by Muslim scholars as holy law.

13. Awadhi

14. Kabir

15. People engaged in a variety of bhakti practises and ceremonies, sang bhajans, kirtans, or qawwali, or even silently repeated the name of God.

16. Many people looked to the teachings of the Buddha or the Jainas, which claimed that through individual effort, it was possible to overcome social differences and end the cycle of rebirth.

17. There was the notion of a Supreme God who, when worshipped, could free people from such shackles. The Bhagavadgita promoted this idea, which gained popularity.

18. The linkages between the bhakti tradition and temple devotion were strengthened when the Chola and Pandya rulers constructed enormous temples around many of the shrines that the saint poets visited.

19. The majority of the saints' works were written in regional languages and had the ability to be sung, which gives them a special distinction. These are typically spread orally by women and the poorest communities.

20. God was imagined by Tulsidas as Rama. He wrote the well-known epic Ramcharitmanas, which is significant as a literary masterpiece and as a statement of his devotion.

21. It became commonly understood that all living creatures undergo endless cycles of birth and rebirth during which they carry out both good and harmful activities. The idea that social advantages stem from birth in a "high caste" or "noble" family has been the subject of numerous academic writings.

22. One of India's most important philosophers Shankara spent the eighth century in Kerala. He supported the Advaita school of thought, which holds that the individual soul and the Supreme God, who is the Ultimate Reality, are one. He claimed that Brahman, the one and only ultimate reality, had no form and no attributes.

23. In the middle of the 12th century, Basavanna, along with his friends Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi, founded the Virashaiva movement in Karnataka. They made a strong case for the equality of all people and attacked Brahmanical views on caste and how women should be treated. They were also against idolatry and all forms of ceremonial.

24. Muslim mystics have known as Sufis. They avoided overt religiosity and placed an emphasis on love and devotion to God as well as compassion for all people. Monotheism is emphasised in Islam (one God). It condemned the worship of idols and emphasised group prayers. Sufis wrote poetry to express their emotions, and thriving prose literature, including anecdotes and fables, grew up around them.

25. Jnaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram, Sakhubai, and the Chokhamela family concentrated on Vitthala's devotion (a form of Vishnu). These were all Maharashtrian saints. They disapproved of any kind of ritualism, public piety, and birth-based social distinctions. A few saints were from lower castes. They preferred to stay with their families and rejected the idea of renunciation.

Importance of Learning Devotional Paths to the Divine Worksheets

The Class 7 Chapter 8 History is incredibly important for students, as it provides them a peek into the diverse and multi-faceted religious traditions of the erstwhile Indian subcontinent.

The chapter helps students understand the crux of the Bhakti and the Sufi Movement and analyse their bearings in the contemporary times.
It allows young minds to expand their horizons and recognize the plurality and multiplicity of Indian religious traditions.
The chapter also includes important sections on pivotal figures of India’s socio-religious past, such as Kabir, Baba Guru Nanak, Akkamahedevi, Rumi, Sankaradeva, etc.

The chapter contains information that is relevant for competitive examinations, which a student might appear in the future.

Examples of Class 7 History Chapter 8 Exercises

Well-curated Devotional Paths to the Divine PDFs contain unique and interesting exercises such as match the following, fill in the gaps, etc.

1. Match the Following.

The Buddha i) Namghar
Sankaradeva ii) Worship of Vishnu
Nizamuddin Auliya iii) Questioned Social Differences
Nayanars iv) Sufi Saint
Alvars v) Worship of Shiva

Answers:

iii)
i)
iv)
v)
ii)

Important Topics of Devotional Paths to the Divine PDF

All the Class 7 History Chapter 8 questions and answers cover the following topics:

Nayanars and Alvars – A New Kind of Bhakti Movement in the South

The Philosophy of Bhakti
Shankara’s Philosophy
Ramanujan’s Philosophy
Basavanna’s Virashaivism
The Saints of Maharashtra
NathPanthis, Siddhis, and Yogis
Sufism and Islam
New Religious Developments in North India
Kabir Das
Guru Nanak Dev and Sikhism

What Does the Devotional Paths to the Divine PDFs Consist of?

Learning now becomes easy and interesting with Vedantu’s Class 7 History Chapter 8 questions and answers PDFs. Crafted by the adept, experienced, and reliable subject matter experts of Vedantu, the History PDFs are a warehouse of knowledge that contain multiple exercises, interesting facts, sample paper, and much more.

The PDFs are accessible on both web and mobile applications.
The PDFs are free and available both offline and online.
They contain historical facts and figures that you cannot find in your NCERT textbooks.
The content of the Class 7 History Chapter 8 questions and answers PDFs has been formulated in accordance with the latest CBSE guidelines.

Who says history is boring when you have a guide like Vedantu. The subject matter experts at Vedantu have prepared PDFs that will help you score good marks in exams without struggling. In addition, if history is your weak spot, then you should definitely press the download button.

FAQs on Devotional Paths to The Divine: CBSE Class 7 History Worksheet with Solutions (2025-26)

1. What are two key facts about Guru Nanak that are important for Class 7 exams?

For the CBSE Class 7 History exam (2025-26), two important facts about Guru Nanak are:

Birthplace: He was born in Talwandi, which is now known as Nankana Sahib in modern-day Pakistan.
Core Teaching: His central teaching was the worship of one God, irrespective of a person's caste, creed, or gender. He established centres for worship and congregation called 'dharmsals' (now known as Gurdwaras).

2. Explain the significance of Mirabai's devotion as an important example from the Bhakti movement. (3 Marks)

Mirabai's devotion is a significant example from the Bhakti movement for the following reasons:

Challenged Social Norms: As a Rajput princess, she defied the rigid norms of the 'upper' castes by dedicating her life to Lord Krishna. Her songs openly challenged the control that was expected of her based on her social status.
Intense Personal Devotion: Her songs, or bhajans, expressed intense and personal love for Krishna, embodying the Bhakti ideal of a direct, emotional connection to the divine without the need for elaborate rituals.
Lasting Legacy: Her compositions were passed down orally for generations and are still widely sung in Rajasthan and Gujarat, showing her profound impact on the common people.

3. How were the ideas of the Sufis similar to those of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas, and Yogis?

The ideas of the Sufis (Muslim mystics) had several important similarities with those of the Hindu ascetic groups like the Nathpanthis, Siddhas, and Yogis:

Critique of Ritualism: Both groups criticised elaborate rituals and codes of behaviour demanded by orthodox religious scholars.
Path to God: They believed that the heart could be trained to look at the world in a different way. They developed elaborate methods of training using zikr (chanting), contemplation, and sama (singing), similar to the yogic breathing exercises and meditation practised by the Nathpanthis.
Renunciation: Both traditions emphasised renouncing the world and seeking a personal, mystical union with God.

4. Why did the Bhakti movement become so popular among ordinary people in medieval India?

The Bhakti movement gained immense popularity among ordinary people primarily because it was highly accessible and inclusive. Unlike orthodox traditions that were often rigid and complex, the Bhakti saints:

Used regional languages and dialects that the common people could understand, rather than Sanskrit.
Emphasised a personal and emotional devotion to God, which did not require expensive rituals or the help of priests.
Often rejected the rigid caste system and preached equality, attracting followers from all sections of society, including those considered 'low' castes.

5. Describe the main beliefs and practices of Virashaivism, an important movement from this chapter. (5 Marks)

Virashaivism was a significant Bhakti movement initiated by Basavanna and his companions in Karnataka in the mid-twelfth century. Its main beliefs and practices, crucial for a 5-mark question, are:

Devotion to Shiva: They were ardent devotees of Shiva, worshipping him in his manifestation as a linga.
Equality: They strongly argued for the equality of all human beings and challenged the Brahmanical idea of caste and the notion of pollution attributed to certain groups.
Rejection of Rituals: They were against all forms of ritualism and idol worship prescribed in the Dharmashastras.
Social Reforms: They opposed child marriage and encouraged post-puberty marriage and the remarriage of widows, which was a radical stance for the time.
Burial Practices: Instead of cremating the dead as per Hindu custom, the Virashaivas ceremonially buried their dead, believing the devotee unites with Shiva and does not return to this world.

6. From an examination perspective, how did the teachings of Kabir challenge the existing religious and social order?

Kabir's teachings posed a major challenge to the established religious and social order of his time. For exam questions, it's important to highlight these points:

Rejection of Organised Religion: He openly criticised all major religious traditions, mocking external worship, including idol worship in Hinduism and formal prayer in Islam. He believed in a formless Supreme God (nirguna bhakti).
Attack on the Caste System: Kabir strongly condemned the caste system, advocating for a society where all individuals are equal. This directly undermined the hierarchical social structure of the time.
Use of Vernacular Language: He composed his verses (sakhis and pads) in a simple, spoken Hindi that was easily understood by ordinary people, making his radical ideas widespread and accessible, bypassing the scholarly religious elite.

7. What are the important terms 'silsila', 'khanqah', and 'sama' associated with Sufism?

For Class 7 History, understanding these Sufi terms is crucial:

Silsila: This refers to a Sufi lineage or a spiritual chain connecting a master (pir) and his disciples (murids). It established a continuous link back to the Prophet Muhammad and was the primary channel for transmitting spiritual power and blessings.
Khanqah: This was a Sufi hospice or a house of rest for travellers and a place where people gathered to discuss spiritual matters, seek the blessings of the saints, and attend music and dance sessions.
Sama: This refers to the practice of devotional singing and dancing to evoke a mystical state of ecstasy and union with God. It was a central ritual in many Sufi orders, especially the Chishtis.